Category Archives: Pasta

Pasta is a gift from the gods. And orzo is one you should start praising. The good stuff is usually made from semolina flour, a tougher form of wheat, which allows these little rice-shaped morsels of greatness to hold their own in soups, salads, casseroles and pilafs. Semolina-based pastas – also like our Perfect Pasta Dough – cling to sauces better, so they are just right for our favorite sauce of all – egg.

The wild Blueback Salmon (aka Sockeye) is one of my best friends, even though we have nothing in common. We don’t swim together. We don’t even speak to each other. But we do love to hang out…until I eat him. He’s just too good to pass up. The bottom line – I can’t respect these guys enough, and if you’re lucky to get your hands on one, give it the mani pedi it deserves.

Pat, a great friend of mine from Chicago, made an orzo for a party over the holidays. Pat’s an awesome chef and has a ton of offerings in his buffet line, but hidden among the big plates of fancy meats and sides, was a small bowl of orzo that I couldn’t get enough of…in fact I practically sold my dignity begging him for his orzo secret. It turns out, it’s all in the artichoke (and the jarred marinade it comes in). Thanks Patty for this one.

This is the chile relleno recipe we’ve been missing. We don’t fry it the traditional way, instead we stuff it with homemade shrimp fettuccine – smothered in a two cheese alfredo sauce – and serve it alongside sweet cipollinis and our famous garlic bread. It’s really too good to be true.

N.Y. Strip Ravioli Crowns | I swear I was born from another mother…an Italian one. Making ravioli is one of my favorite things to do, not only because it’s so stinkin’ good, but because it is the most rewarding. Fresh pasta made with love just tastes better. And if you take it the extra step and stuff it with creamy, meaty goodness, well then you’re just showing off…

Want to make your own pasta? Well guess what? Here is a recipe that will put you leaps and bounds ahead of all the pasta peeps out there. It’s rich, unique, flavorful and down right delicious.

As a kid growing up in Boston, all I used to eat was baked beans. Now we’ve combined that with pasta to create something you won’t see anywhere else. So get moving and make this before everyone finds out!

Duck-Confit Tortellini Planets in a Black Truffle Galaxy | Yea, I’m not even sure how to describe this. I’ll leave it up to the last group of friends I made this for – I quote, “it’s the best pasta I’ve ever had. Who are you?” or “my husband has been making pasta for years…I married the wrong person.”

Clams Carbonara | We love us some good pasta and carbonara is one of our favorites. You don’t usually see it with shellfish, but that didn’t stop us! Here we combine fresh littleneck clams and salty bacon and top it all off with creamy, rich eggs yolks. It’s a showstopper. Clams Carbonara Print Prep…

This is my “Murica’s” Lasagna, America’s favorite lasagna recipe in the South, and we call it “short” because it only has two layers. It starts with tender bison and a creamy Boursin cheese spread, then covered in gooey muenster and mozzarella, with spicy sausage, imported San Marzano tomatoes and fresh herbs picked straight from the garden.

I agreed to a lasagna cook-off once and made this. Let’s just say the challenger doesn’t make lasagna anymore.

After I had this, I won’t eat it any other way for the rest of my life.